I'd rather go through the slump right now and get strong towards the end and heat up around playoff time. I can see that happening for us. Julio Vinas

Barons manager Julio Vinas still thinks his team can come out its slump. (Solomon Crenshaw Jr./screnshawjr@al.com)

BIRMINGHAM,
Alabama - The Birmingham Barons are no longer the hottest team in the Southern
League.

Far from it.

The
first-half North Division champions have lost 18 of their 25 games in August.
Manager Julio Vinas' team is batting .207 (162 for 783) with 75 runs scored. On the mound, Barons pitchers have an August earned run average
of 4.54, allowing 106 earned runs in 210 innings.

But Vinas continues to
exhort his team, confident as the final regular season homestand is set to
begin on Thursday against the Montgomery Biscuits.

"It just
takes one big win and the team gets rolling again," the manager said. "It's
like a hitter in a slump. He gets that one hit and he's out of it and he goes
on a tear. This team is a great team, a very talented team."

The Barons
were nine games clear of second-place Chattanooga in winning the first-half
championship with a 44-26 record.

The
Tennessee Smokies have already wrapped up the second half crown. At 30-34, Birmingham
is four games below .500 and 7ÃÂ½ games back in third place, half a game behind
second-place Jackson.

The
challenge of Vinas and his coaches is not unique in minor league baseball.
Successful teams tend to have players who produce and those players get
rewarded with call-ups to the next level.

In that
sense, the Barons have multiple wins where it really matters with at least a
dozen players being promoted to Triple-A Charlotte.

"Our main priority
is to get guys to the next level and we've had 13 moves, or something like that,"
Vinas said. "Our priority is that, to get guys to the next level."

While all
players add to the team in some way, some players contribute specific tasks that
propel the team. Not having those players can hurt.

"Right now
we're at a phase where we're rebuilding this team," he said. "I'm looking for
them to start working good together."

The key hits
have largely been missing. Vinas said his squad has been getting its hits but not
the big key hits with players in scoring position.

"We're
working on that," the manager said. "We're giving the guys the right info. Hopefully they'll start taking it into play,
giving themselves quality ABs."

Players who
have been at A-plus Winston-Salem are learning that more is required on this
level.

"Double-A is
a pretty tough league," Vinas said. "This is, I feel, where you find out who's
a big leaguer and who is not, the player that can handle this league."

Players must
make adjustments at Double-A as pitchers are better able to spot their pitches. Younger
hitters coming up may feel as though they're in spring training, having to
catch up.

But that is not
a circumstance the Barons can't overcome.

"Every team's going to go through struggles,"
Vinas said. "Right now, I still believe in this team. I think there's plenty of
talent out there for us to win. Right now
we're going through a little slump and every team goes through that. I'd rather
go through the slump right now and get strong towards the end and heat up
around playoff time. I can see that happening for us."